S&W 500: Cool Product of the Day

I never thought I’d see firearms being covered at Slate. One of them really captured my interest: the Smith and Wesson Model 500.

Leading the way for Smith & Wesson was the Model 500, a .50-caliber revolver that was advertised as the world’s most powerful handgun when it debuted in early 2003. The marketing pitch echoed that for the .44 Magnum revolver, which was touted for its unrivaled stopping power when it debuted in 1955. With three times the muzzle energy of Dirty Harry’s classic .44 Magnum, the Model 500 was a success with both consumers and critics, earning Handgun of the Year honors from the likes of American Rifleman.

The 500 is the most powerful production revolver in the world today, firing the S&W .500 Magnum. The 500 holds 5 rounds. The .500 Smith and Wesson calibre can fire at incredible velocities and deliver an unusually large quantity of kinetic energy – the most high-powered commercial round weighing 440 grains (28.5 g) has a muzzle energy of 2600 footÂ·pounds force (3.5 kJ). However handloaders have experimented with 500 grain bullets developing 3000+ footÂ·pounds (4.1 kJ) of muzzle energy.

I’m certainly planning to find someone (or a range) who owns the S&W 500 so I can check it out for myself.

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